Recycling Rules & Regs

The council websites
Recycling section answers questions on virtually every aspect of the
service. You may download
collection information for your road if you are new to the area and get
guidance on most aspects of the service. What isnt so clear is who the
various bins belong to, and flowing from that who is responsible for them.
However I can answer that; I have an email from the council that makes it
absolutely clear that the bins belong to them. This raises some interesting
questions. It means that the News Shopper stories about council bin men stealing
householders bins is a bit of a nonsense. How can they steal something which
belongs to them anyway?

When a bin man returns a bin to the path or road or to the wrong property and
the householder fails to retrieve it, how can the householder be pursued over
that? The bin isnt his and he didnt put it there. Its the
councils responsibility from every point of view. If a blind man trips
over it, well it was the council who left their own property in the road.

While Bexley council operates a fairly benign refuse policy these questions
remain largely academic, but I dont see how they can reasonably charge
for replacement of their own property if it goes missing - very probably due
to their own activities.

Having said that, the Recycling part of the councils website is really
rather good. A pity the collection schedule puts my uniquely named road in
the wrong part of town!